What are the 5 types of sugar?

With the wide variety on the market, it is difficult to know all types of sugar, especially which is the best for each situation. Next, we present the different types of sugar and their properties.

Direct addition of sugar

Sugar can get into food in a number of ways. One of them is direct addition. The manufacturer is obliged to declare sugar in the list of ingredients. Sugar is not always recognizable by its name as such.

The most used types of sugar

A quick and easy way to detect sugar is to look for ingredients whose names end in dosage and sugar (see list below). The most commonly used sugars are:

1. dextrose,

2. fructose,

3. fructose-glucose syrup,

4. fructose syrup,

5. barley malt,

6. barley malt extract,

7. glucose,

8. glucose-fructose corn syrup,

9. glucose syrup,

10. invert sugar,

11. caramel syrup,

12. coconut blossom sugar,

13. lactose,

14. maltodextrin,

15. maltose,

16. malt extract,

17. malzzucker,

18. palm sugar,

19. raffinose,

20. raw cane sugar,

21. sugar cane,

22. beet sugar,

23. saccharose,

24. corn syrup,

25. sweet whey powder,

26. panel,

27. wheat dextrin.

Indirect addition of sugar

Another way that sugar can get into food is by indirectly adding sugary ingredients. Relatively often one finds the use of these types of sugars.

Types of indirect sugar

1. honey,

2. agave nectar,

3. Apple juice,

4. Maple syrup,

5. purees,

6. fruit juices,

7. fruit concentrates,

8. molasses,

9. nuts (for example, raisins).

Types of sugar most used in domestic and industrial foods

Food manufacturers are very creative when it comes to using sweetening ingredients. These are not always declared as sugars, although they are actually pure sugar. Because there are many types of sugar and so many names for it. Here we want to give a short description of the name by which sugar is found in food.

1. Demerara sugar

Known for being one of the most expensive forms of sugars extracted from cane, demerara is one of the types most used to make sophisticated sweets. With a milder flavor than brown, the ingredients go through the process of purification and refinement, but it does not contain chemical additives and, therefore, maintains the mineral content of sugar cane.

2. Brown sugar

It is raw, dark and moist sugar, extracted after cooking from the cane broth. As this type does not go through the refinement stage, it retains calcium, iron and mineral salts. But its taste, very similar to that of cane broth, displeases some people. Just the fact that it has not received the chemical treatment that the white crystals received is reason enough to invest in the replacement: 5g has 20 calories.

3. Coconut sugar

It is one of the best options for restricted food programs. It is lighter, less caloric and much more nutritious than normal sweeteners on the market, and today it is not that difficult to find. The first of the benefits of coconut sugar is its low glycemic level, which prevents it from converting to blood glucose very quickly, and is beneficial both for those who follow a specific diet and for those with diabetes.

It is also a low-calorie food, and one of its main characteristics is its 100% natural origin, that is, it does not contain preservatives or any of those components that do so much damage to our health. In addition, this sugar taken from coconut is very nutritious and is a source of minerals such as zinc, potassium, magnesium, iron and vitamins of the B complex.

You just have to observe that it should not be consumed in excess, like any other food that you include in the diet. Even a natural product, if consumed in excess, can cause damage to our body, and the fundamental balance, 5 g has 20 calories.

4. Honey or cane molasses

It is the liquid form extracted directly from sugar cane, which also has the power to sweeten very strongly. It preserves all the nutrients, such as iron, calcium, selenium, manganese and copper, and is indicated for those who have low immunity, anemia, to avoid excess clotting and give a lot of energy to the muscles.

5. Crystal sugar

Among the existing types of sugar, its characteristic is large, transparent or slightly yellowish crystals. And it has almost the same properties as refined sugar. There is also colored crystal sugar, which contains food coloring. It is perfect for preparing recipes and sweetening liquids and for decorative use in muffins, sweets and cookies.

6. Confectionery sugar

Also known as glazúcar or icing sugar, it is ideal for the preparation of whipped cream, toppings and more homogeneous icing, since it has superfine grains that allow a more efficient mixing, even when cold.

In the manufacturing process, the refinement is sophisticated and includes the addition of starch to prevent the microcrystals from rejoining. Because it is a very fine sugar (it looks like baby powder), it is the ideal type for decorating cakes, pastries and cookies.

7. Refined sugar

Among the types of sugar, this is the most used in cooking and the most common in supermarkets. Its formula is composed of fine and irregular grains that are easy to dissolve and mix. In the manufacturing process, chemicals are added to make it white and tasty. However, there are losses of vitamins and mineral salts.

8. Organic sugar

Organic sugar, very similar to morcajo, does not use agrotoxic products in its plantation and cultivation or artificial chemical components in the industrialization process. Also, organic sugar is unrefined, giving it coarser grains and darker color. Therefore, its benefits are related to the absence of chemical additives and the preservation of mineral salts and not to caloric and nutritional values.

9. Fructose

It is also a kind of natural sweetener, it is extracted from fruits or corn. Much sweeter in taste, the ingredient contains less nutritional value and is used in the production of industrialized sweets.

10. Glucose syrup

The main use of glucose in cooking is to prevent the sugar from forming that crystallized crust around the jam. That's because it has a low freezing point, which helps to keep tough fighters down, for example. Easy to find, it also appears as corn syrup.

11. Invert sugar:

Invert sugar looks just like syrup, which is exactly what it is. In a reaction of sucrose, traditional sugar, with water and heat, breaks down and divides into glucose and fructose. It is commonly used to make bullets and cookies because it prevents crystallization and acts as a preservative. It is for sale in confectionery and specialty stores.

12. Liquid sugar

This type of sugar is widely used in the food industries to prepare soft drinks, candies, bullets and is difficult to find in supermarkets. To prepare it at home, simply dissolve the refined sugar in water. It is good for preparing broths and toppings for desserts.

13. Light sugar

The most appropriate version for those who want to lose weight with natural diets, light sugar is the mixture of refined sugar with artificial sweeteners, such as aspartame, which sweetens four times more than the natural versions. Therefore, although it is not without fat and calories, light sugar sweetens more and is used in less quantity, which causes a lower calorie intake.

14. Maltodextrin

It is the result of the hydrolysis of starch or starch, which is normally presented commercially in the form of a white powder, made up of a mixture of several glucose oligomers, composed of 5 to 10 units. These molecules are rapidly metabolized in the human body, contributing to an exponential increase in insulin (insulin spike) in the bloodstream.

It is absorbed rapidly and blood glucose rises rapidly. It is so efficient at that that it is used as a supplement by bodybuilders who want a large insulin spike to increase anabolism.

Recommendation on the consumption of sugar

If you avoid anything that ends in a high dose of syrup, or that is called sugar, you already exclude a large part of the hidden and added forms of sugar.

Therefore, it is not always easy, and at first glance, to determine in what form a type of sugar is added to a food. The easiest way is to avoid processed foods. Otherwise, you will have to undergo a thorough examination so as not to fall into one or another "hidden" sugar.